PeTA calls attack on women members in Bhopal 'double whammy'

Written By kom nampultig on Kamis, 25 September 2014 | 08.20

BHOPAL: Mob attack on PeTA activists outside Bhopal's biggest mosque for demanding vegan Eid has snowballed into a raging controversy with the animal rights body demanding action against mobsters who attacked women activists on Monday. The organization has called it a double whammy — first police allowed them to launch the campaign and then booked their women members for hurting religious sentiments while letting attackers roam scot free.

PeTA India's CEO Poorva Joshipura said, "We have a tendency to blame women. Anyone who is justifying the attack is justifying violence against women. Police have the responsibility to identify and bring attackers to justice. There is no shortage of live footage of the incident." The PeTA team is working on filing a counter FIR in the case.

"We informed police about the location of our awareness programme on vegetarianism. That's the information cops sought and that's what we provided," said Joshipura.

Speaking to TOI, inspector-general of police, Yogesh Chaudhary, said, "Three PeTA activists were arrested and released." But he refused to comment on action against those who assaulted the animal rights activists.

She said PeTA had issued an invite about the invite, which was well publicised. At no point did anyone contact us or raise concern about the programme. "We would have changed the location, depending on what they were objecting to," she said.

PeTA has been critical of police investigation into sequence of events that triggered violence even as Bhopal district administration drew flak for allowing PeTA hold an event that could hurt sensitivities. Soon after the incident, Bhopal police registered a case against three PETA activists for outraging religious feelings.

"Providing information on vegetarian diet is not a crime, attacking women is. Why should it be a communal issue," said Joshipura. Asked if the programme could have sparked off violence, she said, "I cannot agree with you. That is not what it was. It's same as asking people not to celebrate Diwali without firecrackers. We were asking a community to think about an issue. If someone does not want that information they can say 'No Thank You'."